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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

J. G. HENDERSON.

BVAPORATOB..

No. 266,148. Patented Oct. 17, 1882.

WTNESSES INVENTOR .dttorney Aram rares.,

JOSEPH O. HENDERSON OF TROY, NEV YORK.

EVA PO RATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,148, dated October17. 1882.

Application filed July Q7, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOSEPH G. HENDERSON, a citizen ot' the UnitedStates, residing at Troy, in the county ot' Rensselaer and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Evaporators;and I do hereby declare the following to be a tull, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

rlhe object of myinvention is the construction ot' a simple, cheap, andefticieut evaporator for drying fruit, vegetables, wood, clothes, andothersubstances by artificial heat, and by which a large amount ot'fresh, hot, dry air is continually brought in contact with the materialto be dried, and which as fast as vapor is generated carries it oft',without permitting the saturated lair to be passed through from onelayer to another, or to accumulate within the dryingchamber, thusproducing a unil'orm dryness of the material throughout the chamber andgreatly hastcniug the operation.

My improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is a perspective view of the evaporator; Fig. 2, a plan viewofthe same, showing in dotted lines the bot-air lines connected with thefurnace; Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view, and Fig. 4 a verticalsectional view otl a moditicatiou.

Likeletters represent like parts in the several views.

The evaporator'illustrated is provided with doors, which may have glasspanels, and in one form is divided into two large chambers, A A, by twopartitions, b b. Each ot' these charnbers inclines inwardly toward thetop for the p'urposeof betterdistributing the heat,as hereinafterdescribed.A

B B represent two hot-airlines proceeding from the furnace beneath theevaporator, andr each leading into the separate chambers A A.

The space D, formed between the chambers by partitions b b, constitutesan exhaust-flue, into which the hot air is conducted at't'er it passesaround the substances to be dried in chambers A A. The dow of air intothe flue D is controlled by dampers O O at the bottom of the chambers.

Within the line D, and extending up fromthefurnace,islocatedthesmokepipe E. Both smoke-pipe and line D extendabove the roof of the evaporator and the smoke-pipe above the tine.

The li ue may, above the root', beprovided with a ventilator (not shown)ot' any suitable form, as an aid in controlling the circulation ot' hotair within the evaporator.

Within each ot' the chambers A A are arranged a series ol' supports, g,and sieve-like movable trays h. The shelves, which are simply wideenough to support the sides 0f the trays, are shown as rigidly connectedto four upright posts in each chamber and arranged at certain distancesapart; but they may, it' desired, Le connected to the posts by means ofpegs and holes or other means, so as to be removed from the chamber, orto permit the (listances between the supports to be varied. lt will beseen that an open space is left between each support as well as tray,which forms a sort of horizontal cross-tine for the passage ot' hot airfrom one side otl the chamber between the trays t0 its opposite side,where it is carried down and into the exhaust-ue. `Both sides otI thecham ber, when the trays are filled, act as titles, one having an upwardand the other a downward draft. The trays are made with their edgesturned np on all sides to permit them to be easily slid in and out.

The furnace is located below the tioor 0f the room in which theevaporator is placed.

The operation ofthe apparatus is as follows: After the fruit or othersubstance to be dried is placed on the trays the dampers at the bottomofthe chambers are closed and the tire iu the furnace is started. Theheat ascends the tlue B, and when the temperature in the chambers is ata proper height the dampers are opened. The heat now tlows, as indicatedby the arrows, up the outer side of the chamber between each tray, andout between the supports to the opposite side ofthe chamber,where it iscarried down and through the openings into the exhaust-chamber, upthrough which it escapes. 'lhe hot air having a tendency to rise at onceto the top ofthe chambers, the side walls ofthe same are inclinedinwardly, so as to contract the space atthe top and to conduct or throwthe heat forward to the trays. The draft is so regulated that thesaturated hot air is carried oft' at once down the opposite side ot' thechamber, which by the construction of the apparatus is thus made a Huefor that purpose,

IOO

and out into the exhaust-tine, while its place down the opposite side ofthe chamber and up is supplied by a fresh supply ot hot dry air. By thismethod the system now followed with driers most in use, ot' passing thehot air up or down through one layer after another, or allowing ittoremain in the drying-chamber after it becomes saturated ith vapor, isentirely obviated, and instead a circulation of dry hot air over thei'ruit or other material is constantly maintained. Ihus the operationof' drying is not only more quickly performed, but the fruit is morethoroughly and uniforn'ily dried and left with all its naturalelementsintact, and in the very best condition in which it can bepreserved. Should it be found necessary to still further equalize theheat throughoutthe chambers, suitable deilectors, m, may be arrangedwithin the top ot` the chambers to throw the heat downward or obstructits upward How. These detiectors may be used with or as an equivalentot' the inclined walls. The How ot' heat into the chambers may also befurther controlled by setting the dampers in the ues 1) at properangles, or it may by the same means be shut oit' altogether. A littleexperience will soon indicate the management ot' thesedampers and thoseleading into the eX- haust-tlue to attain proper' results. The doorsofthe respective chambers are to belreptclosed during the operation toprevent egress ot' air, and the process can be watched, it' desired,through glass panels formed in the doors. The smoke-pipe ruiming upthrough the exhausttlue, by warming the air in said tine, greatly aidsthe draft and helps to maintain the proper tempera-ture within thechamber in all kinds of weather. These evaporators do not thereforerequire a brick chimney constructed for the furnace-pipe, and the heatis utilized for ventilation and made to assist in carrying off the steamor vapor from the drying fruit.

1n the drawings the evaporator is a double one having two chaniliersside by side, but it can he made with a single chamberjust as well, itdesired, and where a small amount ot' fruit, &c., is to be dried. InFig. et a modification of the evaporator for this purpose isshown.l Theheater H is located below the floor on which the evaporator issupported, from whence heat is conducted through pipe I into the sidechamber, A, which chamber has straight walls, and is then deflectedhorizontally between the trays by deliectors m, which are here made theequivalent otl the inclined walls. The heat is led through theexhaust-pipe. The smoke-pipe E leadsintotheexhaust-pipeD. Dampersarenotshown in this view, and they may be used or not, as desired. The greatadvantage of' making the evaporator double, however, especially when alarge amount of material is to be dried, is that the chambers can beused alternatelythat is, when the fruit, for instance, in one chamber issutlciently dried the heat can be turned ott' from that chamber and intothe other while the dried fruit in the former one is being removed andfresh material put in. The chambers are thus used without Waste of heator loss ottime.

As stated at the outset, other substances than i'ruit maybe dried inthis apparatus. In drying solne materials, however, like lumber, wherethe trays are not used, it may be desirable to carry the hot airdirectly to the top ot' the chamber, which can be done by extending thetlues B upward, and as fast as the air bccomes saturated it falls to thebottom ot' the chamber and is drawn ott' through thc exhaustflue.

IIaving thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

I. An evaporating apparatus comprising a double d rying-vhamlier withupwardly-inclined side walls or detlectors, in combination with thehot-air fines, and an exhaust-tine located between the drying-chambers,suitable dampers, and a smoke-tine extending up through saidexhaust-tine, substantially as herein described. y

2. In an evaporating apparatus, the dryingchamber A, constructed with aninclined wall or equivalent detlector, in combination with a heaterprovided with a pipe or tlue carrying the heat up and into one side ot'the said chamber, the horizontal trays between which the heat isconducted, the exhaust-tine and the smoke-pipe extending from the heaterinto said tiue, and both located on the side ot' chamber A opposite tothe side in which the heat is introduced, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atix my signature in presence ot` two witnesses.

JOSEPH C. HENDERSON.

Witnesses:

GIIAUNGEY O. GREENE, JAMES A. HENDERSON.

ICC

